One word to describe my teaching philosophy: relationships. The process of teaching and learning involves the relationships that you create with your students, the trust you build, and the multiple methods in which you present knowledge to them. Relationships will also allow your students to feel confident about the positive dispositions that you want them to obtain from learning core subjects. Through theory and practice, I have developed a strong belief that a successful and happy student derives from the report built between teacher and learner.
Every student has a chance of succeeding. When I step into any situation where I am the facilitator, I always have that previous statement in mind. However, no student simply just believes they are successful. Every student should be given the motivation and tools towards success; and not the same tools either. My teaching philosophy revolves around the belief that every classroom I stand in should offer an inclusive learning environment, where differentiated instruction is available so that it may cater to every individual student’s needs. Differentiated instruction allows for students at different readiness levels, interest and learning profiles to complete their tasks at their individual learning capabilities, all while still feeling apart of the class. With differentiated instruction comes quality rubrics and objectives that highlight the students learning goals. By providing students with quality rubrics (created as a class) and objectives, I am not only giving them clear expectations of what success looks like, but I am also helping the student and myself decide which mode of differentiated instruction is best suited for the task.
As an English teacher, I believe that quality feedback plays great importance towards my students’ success. It is not enough to simply circle boxes within a rubric or give a numerical value to a formal or summative assessment. It is important for an English teacher to accompany alphabetical/numerical grades with quality feedback, highlighting the learner’s areas of improvement, provide steps towards improvement, and accompany that feedback with positive reinforcement. I believe that positive reinforcement is just as important as areas of improvement, as is reminds and brings to light areas of strengths that students may not even realize that they possess.
Finally, I believe that a successful class should be ran in accordance with an organized framework (lesson plan). Not only does it ensure myself as the teacher that the expectations from the Program of Studies will be fulfilled, but it also ensures the students that I am fully competent and prepared with their learning. Nonetheless, mistakes sometimes happen, and things come up. One lesson plan that worked for one class, may not work for another. My teaching philosophy allows me to be fluid with these changes.
With the actions that I commit to partake above, I am confident that I will be able to create a strong and trusting relationship between teacher and learner. These actions will influence my students to also confidently partake in their unique and individually catered learning experience.
